[Street5927]

As I am in the process of purchasing my new 2500 HD Denali that just arrived at the dealership last week, I contacted the dealer to find out cost of install, if it voids the warranty, etc. My sales lady called me back, but I missed her call to find out the answers to my questions. In any event, if the cost to install is not crazy, and if it doesn't void the warranty, I was wondering what leveling kit is recommended? I am tossed up between the RC and the Suspension Maxx. Although the Suspension Maxx is a bit more expensive, it takes into account spacers for the drive angles, etc.

Here is a picture of my soon to be new truck after a test drive. Love the truck, hate the stance...I think it is just too much. Only looking to raise it around 2.5" - 3", with no intent of running bigger tires...I've been through that once with my old truck and have no plans of travelling that road again.

 

[Bradley21sanders]

i would not go over 2.5" higher in the front, can run into CV angle issues.

almost all level kits are virtually the same in how they work, no need to get the expensive one. RC will work fine.

 

[ferraiolo1]

Cognito has a good kit. With ucas and shocks. By going 2.5-3in you won't have much down travel and will result in a harsh ride unless you swap out ucas

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[judsonlimited]

Since the 2500 has torsion bars the ride will be stiffer regardless of how high you go.

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[Street5927]

I appreciate all the replies so far. I would still like a little rake in the front, so maybe the 2.5" would be the height I'm looking for. As far as the stiffness of the ride; as long as it is not TOO much stiffer. I am more concerned about angles, etc. so things don't wear out prematurely. On my old truck, I did the 4" lift, with new Total Chaos UCA's in the front, heim tie rod ends, etc with a deaver pack in the rear. Other than wheel bearings from running 35x12.50, I never had any ball joint, cv joint, etc. issues. The Suspension Maxx comes with new UCA's, spacers for keeping the angles the same and I see their UCA's are greasable with what appears to be a zerk fitting. Not sure if the factory ones are...I didn't look that closely. If it is a better set up with less headaches down the road, I don't mind spending a little bit more up front to do the job right and avoid issues later.

 

[ferraiolo1]

http://www.cognitomotorsports.com/chevy ... g-systems/

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[n8dh]

You can always do drop shackles in the rear to retain ride quality and level the truck out. All depends how much you tow, though.

 

[CT2500HD]

You can't go much more than 1-1.5" on a 2011+ 2500HD/3500HD. There is no bumpstop for the downtravel, basically the shock length is the limitation. There's small "service stops" on the frame that are just meant to hold up the upper-arms when totally unloaded and/or spindle comes out.

Each turn of the torsion bolts will get you about 1/4" of additional ride height. You don't need a torsion unloader tool to simply add some height- this is why they put the bolts there. You will need to unload as much load from the torsion bars a possible first- so jack up the front end completely off the ground, then turn the bolts. I mark the heads with one mark facing forward so I know when I've made a full turn. 21mm socket, I think.

Best way to gauge the ride height adjustment is to measure from the exact centerline of the front hub straight-up to the edge of the fender. Do this on level ground and do a baseline measurement to start.

I do not know what the measurement on the 2015+ HDs is, but on 2011-2014, 25.5" from the exact centerline of the front hub straight up to the edge of the fender is the max tolerable you can go before CVs get out of tolerance and you start hitting the service stops on bumps. I've had it this high for 5+ years and CV boots are fine, no problems.

Again, I don't know the magic measurement number for your body style. You've got to look at the upper ball joint and CV angles to gauge what is reasonable. I can tell you for sure its not +2.5" over factory. You would need better upper a-arms with higher-tolerance ball joints. Cognito/etc all get you about +20% overall travel with their arms and ball joints.

 

[CT2500HD]

BTW, NorCal Trucks is who you want to contact for a measurement.

https://norcaltruck.com/

 

[Tuoms]

I just put on a Rancho QuickLift. Ride is great, way better than with the pucks over the strut. My front end is about 1" lower than the rear. I bought a couple of 1/4" spacers to put on to raise it 1/2", cant decide if it's worth the effort or not.

 

[n8dh]

I just put on a Rancho QuickLift. Ride is great, way better than with the pucks over the strut. My front end is about 1" lower than the rear. I bought a couple of 1/4" spacers to put on to raise it 1/2", cant decide if it's worth the effort or not.

He has an HD with torsion bars, your comment does not apply.

 

[TXGREEK]

Add parts but Don't change/replace parts cause it'll void your whole suspension warranty. 4wheelparts, call them and get the low down

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[19trax95]

That's flat out false. Of course they aren't going to warranty parts that aren't even theirs.

But if you change say the front over to coilovers, and say the rear leaf springs crack, it would be covered as long as you didnt change or remove the block.

And there is no such thing as suspension warranty. Its bumper to bumper. The suspension is just parts that are covered by the b2b.

 

[TXGREEK]

That's flat out false. Of course they aren't going to warranty parts that aren't even theirs.

But if you change say the front over to coilovers, and say the rear leaf springs crack, it would be covered as long as you didnt change or remove the block.

And there is no such thing as suspension warranty. Its bumper to bumper. The suspension is just parts that are covered by the b2b.
The parts that come with the truck other than replacement maintenance required parts are designed by manufacturer engineers, each part is geometrically designed, weight etc specifically for the vehicle. I've owned tons of lifted SUVs and trucks and it's always been the same thing, squeaks, rattled and then dealer inspections void your suspension warranty only if what you added caused excessive wear and tear. I just leveled my new 6.2 but called service manager to confirm highest allowed before warranty will be voided if spotted, 2 1/4" front and 1" rear was limit. Highly recommend you do the same, call and check with your dealership cause I'm sure they'll be just fine with the 2 1/4" leveling and anything bigger can and will cause excessive wear and tear

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[19trax95]

The dealer cant just void warranty at a whim from just seeing something. And there is no measurements that are ok by GM. The only thing GM warranties, and rightly so, is how it left the factory.

If I added a 1.5" level to my truck and the CV axle exploded, I would not expect them to warranty it. And the reason is because I modified it to something other than what GM intended when the designed the truck. If the dealer does cover it, great, but if not, it's to be expected and part of the deal you took on when you modified it.

I guarantee that if I called my dealer and asked what height I can lift my truck and still be covered under warranty they would say something like "any modifications that alter the vehicle or components are not covered by warranty"

Some dealers dont care and will cover trucks that technically shouldn't be covered. And other dealers won't. It's a case by case basis.

 

[TXGREEK]

The dealer cant just void warranty at a whim from just seeing something. And there is no measurements that are ok by GM. The only thing GM warranties, and rightly so, is how it left the factory.

If I added a 1.5" level to my truck and the CV axle exploded, I would not expect them to warranty it. And the reason is because I modified it to something other than what GM intended when the designed the truck. If the dealer does cover it, great, but if not, it's to be expected and part of the deal you took on when you modified it.

I guarantee that if I called my dealer and asked what height I can lift my truck and still be covered under warranty they would say something like "any modifications that alter the vehicle or components are not covered by warranty"

Some dealers dont care and will cover trucks that technically shouldn't be covered. And other dealers won't. It's a case by case basis.

And in more cases than not GM doesn't want to spend their money paying for someone mods. All in all, it's a crap shoot, take a chance or not. Most of us don't really care but there are many that use their vehicles for everyday driving and cannot afford to pay for repairs and rental on their own, I've seen many people buy used and new and complain how their warranties are lost leaving them screwed. Better safe than sorry, check with your service manager, should be a no brainer

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[19trax95]

And that's exactly what I'm saying. If you are worried about warranty, then keep the truck stock and there will be no question of something you did potentially voiding the warranty.

But who wants to drive a stock truck? To me, if you cant afford to fix a vehicle, warranty or not, then perhaps you should not have bought said vehicle.

I don't care about warranty one bit. I'll do as I please to my truck and if something breaks and it's cover by warranty, great. But if not, then I'll fix it and move on. I'd rather make the truck the way I want it than drive a boring cookie cutter truck.

 

[TXGREEK]

And that's exactly what I'm saying. If you are worried about warranty, then keep the truck stock and there will be no question of something you did potentially voiding the warranty.

But who wants to drive a stock truck? To me, if you cant afford to fix a vehicle, warranty or not, then perhaps you should not have bought said vehicle.

I don't care about warranty one bit. I'll do as I please to my truck and if something breaks and it's cover by warranty, great. But if not, then I'll fix it and move on. I'd rather make the truck the way I want it than drive a boring cookie cutter truck.

Agreed, it's just a warning to those interested in modifying their trucks, some dealers care and others do not. Interesting though, the newer trucks are taller. Looks like GM is listening.

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